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Interesting Guitar Center experience

theophilus762

theophilus762

Nov 4, 2006
1,342
43
39
Arlington, VA
#1
So I was visiting my local GC to pick up some drumsticks for a retreat I'm playing in this week, and as usual stopped by the basses to see if they got anything new.

I saw someone playing a bass in the corner and he was obviously very skilled but the bass itself sounded pretty good going through an ampeg head/cab. he was playing some slap, chords, fingerstyle, just about everything. he was even playing the line from "salvation is here" by hillsong united live. It ended up being a guy that used to work at that guitar center, and we talked a bit.

he eventually got up to leave and put the bass back on the rack. at first I caught a glimpse of it and said to myself "oh, no wonder it sounded so good, it's a stingray". it had the stingray headstock shape, stingray body, stingray pickguard and single humbucker, etc.

after he left, i tried to catch another look at the bass. it was a flamed maple top with tortoise pickguard and i just said 'wow, i didnt know EBMM makes stingrays with flamed maple tops". next i moved up the bass and looked at the neck, then to the headstock.

it was an OLP...and my jaw dropped.

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#9
I tried to like these and even tried to like them enough to buy one...nope cant do it. I think they sound very weak cant even compare to a true stingray at all and the frets on the last one were as sharp as razors.Very poor construction and heavy too....sad wanted to like them and i tryed many.
 
#12
When I read this, it made me think a little. Maybe we (I)obsess with gear a little too much. This guy sounded great through a $200 bass. 99% of people in a crowd would not know if that bass cost $200 or $1200...and it wouldn't matter, because we hear with our ears and not with our eyes! That being said, I love my $1200 bass! :ninja:
 
#14
bassbully43 said:
I tried to like these and even tried to like them enough to buy one...nope cant do it. I think they sound very weak cant even compare to a true stingray at all and the frets on the last one were as sharp as razors.Very poor construction and heavy too....sad wanted to like them and i tryed many.
Click to expand...

That was my experience as well. I was a bit sad as the thing looked fabulous. I bought it on impulse as GC was closing one night, and I did not give it a proper try before I paid. Punted it.
 
#15
I own an OLP 5 that I got about 4 or 5 years ago. I have to say you get what you pay for. The bass sounds ok on everything below the 12th fret and not including the B string. But after owning the bass for a small period of time the neck started to warp the truss rod stopped working and would not engage with the neck anymore and the controls turned into on-off switches as they lost all sensitivity.

I might have started this thread when I first got the bass and would have stated how impressed I was for the price but time has changed my opinion.
 
#17
I read this thread while I was at work this afternoon.
I received a half-dozen GC gift cards for the holidays. I planned to go by there after dinner at pick up some strings, the Jack Bruce DVD, and look around. I took a look at the OLP MM2 in black. It was right out of the box and had absolutly no set up what so ever. Joe, my guy there lower the action just a bit, and 1/4 turn on the neck. NOT BAD. $199 puls tax, minus my discount . $196! I still had enough room for strings the DVD and that warwick gig bag that they had used for $15.
The bass is not close to my MM, but I could make a living if I had to using this new bass.

GM
 

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